Spelling Resources

Special announcement: Due to the impact of COVID-19 across NSW, the 2021 NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee has been cancelled.

Participating schools will be provided with information about participation certificates, spelling initiatives and opportunities for students when details are confirmed.

Thank you for your understanding and support.

2021 wordlists - follow the hyperlinks below

The Junior annotated wordlist is available here

The Junior simple wordlist is available here

The Senior annotated wordlist is available here 

The Senior simple wordlist is available here

The NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee 2021 Junior Wordlist is for your personal use only. No part of this wordlist covered by copyright may be reproduced, copied, shared or made available on the internet, via email, on an intranet, or by any other means without written permission of the publisher.

Copyright © Macquarie Dictionary Publishers 2021 | www.macquariedictionary.com.au

Elimination sheets for school competitions available on this link

Sample script for school competitions available on this link

PSB Procedures & Guidelines for school spelling bees available here

Follow this link for a 19 minute TAU produced "How to run a school and/or regional Premier's Spelling Bee"

This short film has useful information for school coordinators to run in-school spelling bees, as well as indicating procedures and format for Regional and State finals. It can be counted towards teacher-identified learning.

A quick guide to the Premier's spelling bee

PSB FAQs

2019 Premier's Spelling Bee Junior State Final highlights for Stage 2

2019 Premier's Spelling Bee Junior State Final highlights for Stage 3

External spelling resources, games and podcasts.

ABC Education Spelling resources. From short interactive games to fascinating articles and podcasts on all things spelling.

ABC Spell Block Academy. Especially for younger children, kindergarten to year 3. Game and quizzes you can tailor to suit a particular stage or curriculum area.

Arkadium Australia. Free online puzzles and word games, spelling and literacy focused.

Games Games. From simple to complex, games and puzzles from a UK website. Broad curriculum areas including many spelling games.

Macquarie Dictionary podcasts for children. Our official wordlist supplier, the site has many articles and podcasts exploring language. Engaging information for the serious student of linguistics.

Ozspeller. Gradeable oral spelling games, years 1 to 8.

Premier's Sporting Challenge Spelling Fitness Circuit. From the thinking while moving series, this is a short video demonstration of an active spelling game. There are further links to literacy based physical games on the PSC pages.

Spelfabet free games. Good selection of educational games, including entries from ABC and BBC. Useful games and links - especially to BBC UK sites.

Spell words well. Some great free games, gradeable and printable worksheets. The site can be student driven but also has useful information for parents and teachers.

The Great Australian Spelling Bee. From Channel 7, on You Tube, various episodes of the TV spelling bee. Entertaining and a great range of words.

Useful teacher and parent resources: 

Visit  School A-Z for a free online spelling bee game. School A to Z is a free website, with articles, videos and fact sheets on homework, child well being and technology, designed to help parents of school-aged children.

 

 Macquarie Dictionary pronunciation guide

 

 A word from Macquarie Dictionary on the list levels

Spelling Activities

The document below has been developed through suggestions from School Spelling Bee Coordinators who have previously participated in the Premier’s Spelling Bee. It contains activity ideas that can be used in the in-school phase of the competition as a way of selecting Regional representatives, as well as ways to vary the teaching of spelling, and motivate students to improve their spelling.

[pdf] School Activity Ideas & Suggestions [ 350 KB]

Strategies in the following document can be used by teachers to reinforce the four forms of spelling knowledge (phonological, visual, morphemic & etymological) and encourage students to integrate and use these strategies in the appropriate contexts.

[pdf]Effective Classroom Practices [139 KB]

The Premier's Sporting Challenge has published a series of fun exercises and activities to support the Department's Thinking While Moving – English program.

Follow the link for some great ideas for spelling and literacy activities in the classroom

As well they have short video clips of classroom implementation of spelling games.

Spelling Tips

These 10 tips from Susan Butler, previous editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, will help teachers, contestants and their parents with some of the trickier aspects of spelling. Macquarie Dictionary is the official word list supplier for the Premier's Spelling Bee.

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